Federation Commander

Mike · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:12 am Post subject: Facing and landing on planets

How is a ship's facing determined when it lands on a planet?

(2D5b) says that when a ship takes off from a planet, it is placed in a hex adjacent to the planet and turned to whatever facing the owning player desires.

Nothing is said about the facing a ship has when it lands on a planet.

If a ship can be fired upon while it is landed, facing is important.

A follow-up question for this: Once landed, can a ship's facing being changed? If so, how? Also if so, does changing its facing prohibit it from doing anything else during that Turn?

Wolverin61 · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:21 am Post subject:

I would think that the ship's facing would change as the planet rotates, but I've never landed so I don't know
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Mike · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:53 am Post subject:

mjwest · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 9:40 pm Post subject:

Planets do not rotate, as Mike points out.

Anyway, since facing does not matter for landing, and since a ship that takes off can have any facing it desires, it would make sense that a landed ship would have whatever facing it desires, but once chosen, that facing is fixed until the ship takes off.

Note that this functionally means the ship lands on its side (which is obviously not what happens). But, since the landed ship can be fired on, and since we don't have "top" or "bottom" shields, this becomes a necessity. This also means that three adjacent shields on the landed ship may not be fired on. Which three adjacent shields that are left exposed are up to the controlling player.

Theoretically, this should probably be announced when the ship lands, but chosing when needed is a reasonable compromise. (The opportunity for advantage is very slight.) Once chosen, the facing cannot change until it takes off.

Do remember that a ship that has landed on a planet may not fire any weapons.
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Mike · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:48 pm Post subject:

Mike West, thanks for the prompt answer to the question. I'm not trying to be a pain or a "rules lawyer", but I am working on a new scenario that necessitates knowing these things. I'll start another thread for the next question...